I&P's activities: Field of action
I&P's field of action in the microfinance sector is very wide.
In geographical terms, since I&P excludes no region from its operations (even if Africa remains a top priority). I&P gives preference to developing countries with a political and economic environment stable enough to offer a reasonable prospect of long-term activity.
I&P may be involved at various stages of an MFI's development:
- as a professional shareholder or a leading financial partner in an existing MFI, co-ordinating with the public sector lender if there is one, and proposing to take the follow-up role when the latter withdraws;
- at start-up, helping to finance the loan portfolio in association with a development institution which takes on the technical assistance and start-up costs in the initial years.
I&P takes a pragmatic view of the legal status of the institution. While it prefers an MFI to have a commercial status so that it can fully participate in the institution's governance, it can also invest in cooperative or associative MFIs, adapting the form of its exposure as appropriate.
In all cases, I&P seeks an association with the founding operators of the MFI to ensure mentoring and strategic follow-up of the institution.